DC Comics/Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Story by Scott Snyder & Steve Orlando
Written by Steve Orlando
Illustrated by Riley Rossmo
Coloured by Ivan Plascencia
Lettered by Clem Robins
I cannot believe how much fun this is! I mean c’mon after all the years these two characters have been around, even briefly sharing a publishing company, and this is their first team-up?!? Well with Scott, Steve, Riley and Ivan at the helm of this ship it goes so far beyond any kind of expectations I could have had.
Seriously I mean the characterisation here is utterly astounding. From Bruce’s Vulcan like logical mind unwilling to accept that which cannot be easily explained to the fact that The Shadow comes across as the Sane Insane Joker type. Seriously all mystical, laughing and crazy and incredibly long-lived yeah it’s just one of those depictions where time has warped his perspective and made him seem more odd than usual.
God Rileys’ work on this book is stunning. His style is a match for not only Bruce but Batman and the rendition of The Shadow just blows my mind. His eye for storytelling through page layouts utilising angles, perspective and those all important backgrounds continues to impress and bring life to the story. The ebb & flow he creates through what we see enhances the experience. Then there’s the outfits, Batman’s new look looks good here and the way the red scarf swirls around The Shadow is both fascinating and creepy.
It’s not just the main characters that have some incredible characterisation here either. Lamonts former colleagues whom Batman already interviewed get to shine here as well. I love that we see them giving him a piece of their minds like they do, it’s that long term friendship which grants you the familiarity and ability to be brutally honest with someone. Something that Batman doesn’t really have with anyone.
The intricacies of this story are extremely well done. The way that the story progresses and our main characters are still not exactly working together but not completely at odds either. It’s that gray area where Bruce doesn’t know what to do and that alone is more than worth the price of admission. I mean how often does someone stupefy him? This is the way I want to see Batman portrayed, not the know it all, plan for every occasion but one who is smarter than average and prides himself on using his intelligence to defeat his foes.
It’s not surprising that DC’s best stories right now are coming out of inter-company crossovers. They stretch the way we see these characters outside of their normal parameters and that’s more exciting than all the reboots in the world. This is an incredibly good story with some amazing interiors.